The Storekeeper's Daughter Read Online Free PDF Page A

helping people stay fit and trim.”
    Naomi studied her English friend a few seconds. Not only was Ginny blessed with a pretty face but also a healthy, robust body. Ginny had told her that she worked out several times a week, and it showed.
    Of course, Naomi reasoned, I’m in good shape from all the chores I have to do here and at home. I don’t need any fancy health club to make me strong.
    Ginny leaned across the counter. “You want to know what I think?”
    Naomi shrugged her shoulders.
    “I think you should stand up to your father and tell him you’ve got a life to live, which doesn’t include baby-sitting his kids seven days a week or cooking and cleaning from sunup to sunset.”
    Naomi’s cheeks burned hot as she considered that option. Papa would have a conniption fit if she ever talked to him that way. She’d been raised to be respectful of her elders, and even though she might not agree with everything her father said, she’d never speak to him in such a disrespectful tone. Besides, she had an obligation to fulfill.
    “You won’t get what you want out of life if you remain silent and keep doing what everyone else thinks you should.” Ginny shook her finger. “Determine to stand up for yourself, and then just do it.”
    “I’ve a family to care for,” Naomi mumbled. “So even if I could stand up to Papa, I wouldn’t be able to get away.”
    Ginny reached over and patted Naomi’s hand. “Don’t you think you deserve to do something fun for a change?”
    Naomi blinked. Of course she deserved it, but it wasn’t meant to be.
    “I’m planning a camping trip sometime this summer with a couple of friends. I’d like it if you could figure out some way to go along,” Ginny announced.
    Going camping did sound like fun, and there was something about being with Ginny that intrigued Naomi. Maybe it was her friend’s perky attitude and determined spirit. Or it could be just the idea of spending time with a worldly English woman that held so much appeal.
    Naomi thought about how she and her siblings used to camp out by the creek behind their home when they were younger, but they hadn’t done that in some time. Maybe when the weather turned warmer, she could talk Papa into letting them pitch their tent and sleep outside one Friday night. It wouldn’t be as exciting as going camping with a bunch of English women, but at least it would be a reprieve from their normal, busy lives.
    The bell above the door rang again, and two Amish women walked in. Ginny turned to go. “I’ve gotta run, but think about what I said. I’ll get back to you when the camping trip is planned, and if there’s any way you can go, let me know.”
    Naomi nodded as a ray of sunlight burst through the window she still needed to wash. “Jah, okay, I’ll think on it.”

CHAPTER 3
    Jim Scott leaned over to kiss his wife. “I should be home by six, so if you have dinner ready by then, we can go shopping for baby things after we eat.”
    Linda looked up at him and frowned. “What for? We already bought a crib and set up a nursery in the spare bedroom, but we still have no baby.”
    “Not yet, but our lawyer’s working on it.”
    With a look of defeat, she folded her arms. “We’ve heard that before. Max Brenner had a baby lined up for us twice, and both adoptions fell through.”
    Linda’s blue eyes filled with tears, and with a feeling of compassion, Jim stroked her soft cheek. “We need to be patient, honey. You believe in fate, don’t you?”
    She lifted her chin. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
    “When the time’s right, we’ll have our baby. Just wait and see.”
    Linda’s gaze dropped to the kitchen floor.
    Jim bent his head, entwined his fingers through the back of her soft, golden curls, and kissed her on the mouth. “See you after work.”
    She offered him a weak smile and reached up to tousle his hair. “You’d better stop and get a haircut on the way home. You’re beginning to look like a shaggy